Episode 25: Breakthrough Cases of Covid-19
Season 1, Episode 25, Nov 19, 2021, 04:00 PM
Additional resources
- OHA COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters and Third Dose website
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OHA Weekly Breakthrough Case Report – Nov. 12, 2021
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CDC Breakthrough Infections page
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Ask a Black Doctor on The Numberz
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REACH webpage and REACH Facebook
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OHA Facebook
COVID-19 and Breakthrough Cases
Q1: We heard from community members who are fully vaccinated, but later needed to be hospitalized due to COVID-19. Why is this?
Although COVID-19 vaccines currently appear very effective against severe disease and death, no vaccine is perfect. Because vaccines are not 100% effective, as the number of people who are fully vaccinated goes up, the number of COVID-19 infections among fully vaccinated people will also go up. These infections are called vaccine breakthrough cases.
In Oregon, there have been 39,686 breakthrough cases. This is a very small proportion (4%) of the more than 2.6 million people who have been fully vaccinated.
Q2: Does a breakthrough case mean the vaccines aren’t working?
No. In fact, it still means the vaccines are working. We know this because most cases of COVID-19 are in people who are not fully vaccinated.
The risk of infection is still much higher for unvaccinated than vaccinated people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studies show that vaccinated people are 5 times less likely to be infected and 10 times less likely to experience hospitalization or death.
Some evidence shows that vaccination may also make illness less severe for people with breakthrough infections. This includes people aged 65 years and older, who are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness.
Q3: Are there certain groups or individuals who are more likely to get COVID-19 even after they’re vaccinated?
In Oregon, more than 80% of vaccine breakthrough deaths have occurred in people 70 years and older. This may be due to increased disease severity caused by the Delta variant and waning vaccine immunity over time in elderly populations, since they were among the first groups to get the vaccine.
Living in an area with high COVID-19 transmission may be another reason.
- If you live in an area with low vaccination rates, or even live with unvaccinated people, you are going to be exposed to more virus than you would in a fully vaccinated household or area with higher vaccination rates.
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The CDC recommends wearing a mask and being more cautious if you live in an area with high COVID-19 transmission, even if you are vaccinated; and Oregon requires masks in most public indoor and outdoor settings.
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You can check transmission levels by state and county on the CDC website.
Vaccine effectiveness also depends on how well our immune systems respond to vaccines. This varies among individuals. The CDC also reviewed recent studies in several countries about vaccine effectiveness and found that:
- Vaccine effectiveness was lower among immunocompromised adults compared to those without immunocompromising conditions.
- In some studies, immunocompromised persons accounted for over 40% of infections among fully vaccinated hospitalized persons.
Q4: So, we know that older adults and immunocompromised people are at greater risk of hospitalization, even if they have been fully vaccinated. How can we protect them?
For these groups, the best protection is to get an additional COVID-19 dose if you are eligible.
- Older adults age 65 and older who were fully vaccinated using the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine can get a booster shot. Many other groups can get a booster, such as frontline workers, health care workers, teachers, and more.
- Immunocompromised people who were fully vaccinated using Pfizer or Moderna can get a third dose 28 days after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna.
You can get these doses in the same places you got your original vaccine doses, such as your doctor, clinic, or pharmacy.
Q5: And if we live in an area with high COVID-19 transmission levels, or spend a lot of time among unvaccinated people, we could also get COVID-19, even if we’re fully vaccinated. What else can we do?
We can keep taking the other precautions that have protected us during the pandemic. For example:
- Wear a mask.
- Use good hand hygiene: Wash your hands regularly, and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth if you can’t wash your hands or don’t have hand sanitizer you can use.
- Avoid crowds. If you’re meeting people from other households, remember outdoor gatherings are safer than indoor gatherings.
- If you have to be indoors, increase air circulation by opening windows and doors. Use an air purifier.
- Stay home if you feel sick.
Q6: What will symptoms look like for those who are infected by COVID and have been vaccinated?
The symptoms for breakthrough COVID cases are similar to COVID-19 symptoms in unvaccinated people, but typically are milder as far as severity. You may not notice any symptoms at all.
If you are fully vaccinated and develop a fever, feel ill, or experience any symptom that is not typical for you, taking a COVID-19 test may be a good idea. If you test positive, please contact your primary care provider.
Local vaccine events for Nov. 19 through Dec. 3, 2021
Oregon breakthrough cases as of Nov. 12, 2021
Between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, there were 6,776 reported cases of COVID-19. 71 percent of those cases occurred in unvaccinated people. 1,962 (29%) were vaccine breakthrough cases. The median age of breakthrough cases was 45 years. Forty breakthrough cases were residents of care facilities, senior living communities or other congregate living settings. There were 76 cases in people ages 12-17.
Document accessibility: For individuals with disabilities or individuals who speak a language other than English, OHA can provide information in alternate formats such as translations, large print, or braille. Contact the Health Information Center at 1-971-673-2411, 711 TTY or COVID19.LanguageAccess@dhsoha.state.or.us.